Two new triterpenoids from <i>Nauclea officinalis</i>

<div><p>Two new triterpenoids and three 27-nor-triterpenoids were isolated from the stems (with bark) of <i>Nauclea officinalis</i>. Their structures were identified to be 2β,3β,19α,23-tetrahydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (<b>1</b>), 2β,3β,19α,23-tetrahydroxy-urs-12-en-28-<i>O</i>-[β-d-glucopyranosyl (1-2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl] ester (<b>2</b>), pyrocincholic acid 3β-<i>O</i>-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (<b>3</b>), pyrocincholic acid 3β-<i>O</i>-α-l-rhamnopyranosy1-28-<i>O</i>-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (<b>4</b>), pyrocincholic acid 3β-<i>O</i>-α-l-rhamnopyranosy1-28-<i>O</i>-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (<b>5</b>) by spectroscopic methods including 1D, 2D NMR and HR-MS analyses. The cytotoxic activity of <b>1</b>–<b>5</b> against lung cancer A-549 cells was also investigated.</p></div

Two new triterpenoids from <i>Gypsophila oldhamiana</i>

<p>Two new triterpenoids (<b>1–2</b>) were isolated and elucidated from the roots of <i>Gypsophila oldhamiana</i>, together with four known triterpenoids (<b>3–6</b>). Their structures were identified to be 3β-hydroxyolean-13(18)-ene-23, 28-dioic acid (<b>1</b>), 3β, 12α-dihydroxy-23-carboxyolean-28, 13β-olide (<b>2</b>), 3β, 16α-dihydroxy-23-oxoolean-13(18)-en-28-oic acid (<b>3</b>), gypsogenin (<b>4</b>), quillaic acid (<b>5</b>) and gypsogenic acid (<b>6</b>) by spectral methods. All compounds were tested for their cytotoxicities against human tumour cell lines (lung cancer H460 and gastric cancer SGC-7901) and for their antiangiogenic effects using a zebra fish model. All compounds showed interesting antiangiogenic activities and the significant cytotoxicities against H460.</p

Chemical Composition and Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Eight Pear Cultivars

The contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins, and total triterpenes of eight pear samples were determined, and the monomeric compounds were identified and quantitated using high-performance liquid chromatography. The in vitro antioxidant and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of the different pear cultivars were compared. Arbutin and catechin were the dominant polyphenol compounds in the eight pear varieties, followed by chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and rutin. In addition, Xuehua pear and Nanguo pear had significantly higher total phenolics and flavonoids contents, while Dangshansu pear had the largest total triterpenes value (209.2 mg/100 g). Xuehua pear and Nanguo pear also were the highest in total anthocyanins. The pears with high total phenolics and total flavonoids contents had significantly higher antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities than those of other species. Anthocyanins were correlated to antioxidant capacity in pears, whereas total triterpenoids were strongly correlated to anti-inflammatory activity

Additional file 1 of Survival in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a ten-year follow-up study in northern China

Additional file 1: Table S1. Factors without statistical significance in the univariate Cox regression model

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel <i>N</i>-pyridylpyrazolecarboxamides containing benzothiazole

<p></p> <p>A series of novel <i>N</i>-pyridylpyrazolecarboxamides containing benzothiazole were designed and synthesized. The target compounds were identified by ¹H NMR,¹³C-NMR, IR, high-resolution mass spectrum (HRMS) and elemental analysis. The bioactivities of the new compounds against oriental army worm (<i>Mythimnaseparata</i>) and diamond back moth <i>(Plutellaxylostella</i>) were evaluated. The results of bioassays indicated that some of the compounds showed good activitiesat the tested concentrations. Compound <b>Ij</b> showed 100% larvicidal activities against <i>Plutellaxylostella</i> at 2.5 mg/L, while the activity of <b>Ij</b> against <i>Mythimnaseparata</i> was 100% at 10 mg/L.</p

Eight new cucurbitane triterpenoids from “Xue Dan,” the roots of <i>Hemsleya pengxianensis</i>

<p>Eight new natural products (four new cucurbitane aglycones, hemslepencins A<b>–</b>D (<b>1–4</b>), four new cucurbitane glucosides, hemslepensides F<b>–</b>I (<b>5–8</b>), along with seven known compounds (<b>9–15</b>), were isolated from the roots of <i>Hemsleya pengxianensis</i>. The structures of <b>1–8</b> were elucidated using IR, HRESIMS, and NMR. Compound <b>3</b> exhibited cytotoxic activity against the human cancer cell lines.</p

The Role of Glucose Metabolism on Porcine Oocyte Cytoplasmic Maturation and Its Possible Mechanisms

<div><p>In the present study, we investigated the potential role of glucose and pyruvate in the cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes by investigating the effect of glucose and/or pyruvate supplementation, in the presence or absence of 10% porcine follicular fluid (PFF), on meiotic maturation and subsequent embryo development. In the absence of 10% PFF, without exogenous addition of glucose and pyruvate, the medium seemed unable to support maturation. In the presence of 10% PFF, the addition of 5.6 mM glucose and/or 2 mM pyruvate during in vitro maturation of cumulus enclosed oocytes increased MII oocyte and blastocyst rates. In contrast, oocytes denuded of cumulus cells were not able to take full advantage of the glucose in the medium, as only pyruvate was able to increase the MII rate and the subsequent early embryo developmental ability. Treatment of cumulus enclosed oocytes undergoing maturation with 200 μM dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a pentose phosphate pathway inhibitor, or 2 μM iodoacetate (IA), a glycolysis inhibitor, significantly reduced GHS, intra-oocyte ATP, maternal gene expression, and MPF activity levels. DHEA was also able to increase ROS and reduce the levels of NADPH. Moreover, blastocysts of the DHEA- or IA-treated groups presented higher apoptosis rates and markedly lower cell proliferation cell rates than those of the non-treated group. In conclusion, our results suggest that oocytes maturing in the presence of 10% PFF can make full use of energy sources through glucose metabolism only when they are accompanied by cumulus cells, and that pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and glycolysis promote porcine oocyte cytoplasmic maturation by supplying energy, regulating maternal gene expression, and controlling MPF activity.</p></div

Typical confocal images showing nuclear DNA and apoptotic cells in 7 d porcine blastocysts.

<p>(A) Immunofluorescent staining of apoptotic cells in blastocysts from control, DHEA-treated, and IA-treated groups (×400). Scale bar indicates 100 μm. (B) The total number of cells per blastocyst in different groups. (C) Apoptotic cell rate per blastocyst in different groups. The number of observed oocytes in each experimental group is displayed inside the bars. (D) <i>Bcl-2</i>, <i>Bax</i>, and <i>Casp3</i> mRNA levels in 7 d porcine blastocysts from controls and groups treated with DHEA or IA during IVM. Values are the mean ± standard deviation of the mean. Differences between bars superscripted with different letters (a, b, or c within same graph) were statistically significant (p < 0.05).</p

Effect of adding various concentrations of glucose or pyruvate on IVM of porcine oocytes.

<p>(A) COCs were cultivated in NCSU37 with 10% PFF and different concentrations of glucose or pyruvate. (B) DOs were cultivated in NCSU37 with 10% PFF and supplemented with glucose and/or pyruvate.(C) COCs were cultivated in NCSU37 with glucose and/or pyruvate. Control: no exogenous glucose/pyruvate; G: glucose-only supplementation; P: pyruvate-only supplementation; G + P: supplementation with both glucose and pyruvate. Differences between bars superscripted with different letters (a, b, c, or d within same graph)were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Values are the mean ± standard deviation from three independent experiments.</p

Typical confocal images showing nuclear DNA and proliferating cells in 7 d porcine blastocysts.

<p>(A) Immunofluorescent staining of BrdU in blastocysts from control, DHEA-treated, and IA-treated groups (×400). Scale bar indicates 100 μm. (B) Percentages of proliferating cells in different groups. Values are the mean ± standard deviation the mean. The numbers of embryos examined in each experimental group are shown in the bars. Differences between bars superscripted with different letters (a, b, or c) were statistically significant (p < 0.05).</p